


Something New

by MikeWritesThings



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Allergies, Canon-Typical Violence, Cat Cafés, Dating, Established Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27234127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikeWritesThings/pseuds/MikeWritesThings
Summary: Elliott is having a hard time picking out a date to take Ajay on.
Relationships: Lifeline | Ajay Che/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Something New

**Author's Note:**

  * For [healslut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/healslut/gifts).



> this is for hallo! thanks for the c*mmission [censoring so ao3 doesnt nerf me]

Elliott was not having a very good time.

His teammates were dead, his ammo was running low, and his curls were singed. The smell of burnt hair followed him whereever he went, and let me tell you, that is _not_ a very pleasant scent to have clinging to you.

He was sure that he could be smelled from miles away, and this paranoia came back in full force after he peered down his G7 scope at Bloodhound only for them to turn their head instantly in his direction. Jesus _Christ_ they scared the shit out of him sometimes.

Thankfully he didn’t hear any animalistic screeches or declarations to the Allfather, so he was safe.

(For now.)

As soon as he had thought this, Elliott heard three distinct sets of footsteps running straight in his direction, splashing through water and leaping onto rocks.

_Aw man._

He squinted through the cracks in the boards that made up this creaky wooden house he had hidden in near Bunker, and saw someone’s arm before it disappeared. He was ninety percent sure it was Gibraltar’s arm. Fantastic! _Just_ what he needed today, on top of the dead teammates and burnt hair and....

His cloaking technology had overheated a few minutes ago because of the amount of times he’d gone invisible to avoid being seen. He placed his fingers above the ventilation fans to see if they were still working overtime, and damn it, they were. Elliott bit on his lower lip as he pulled a frag from his belt, prepared to drop it down onto the first floor if anyone came inside.

Elliott then heard the very familiar sound of a grapple hitting the ledge on the second floor (the floor _he_ occupied), and his eyes widened.

_Not the tin can._

Tumbling down the stairs to avoid being seen, he made a beeline for the door, hoping that he could sneak out alive, but Gibraltar burst through it at the same exact moment he heard Pathfinder come in from above. 

Gibraltar met his eyes and smiled at him wide, which, _ha, thanks big guy, I know you’re about to kill me but it’s nice to see you too_. 

Gibraltar raised one arm, shield in hand, as if prepared to bring it down on Elliott’s head,. He used this oppurtunity to duck past him, beneath his arm as he scrambled out the door and nearly face-planted into the water below. Elliott made a mad dash for the caves that would lead him to Market, but the next thing he knew he was crumpling to the ground in pain, leg on fire.

Groaning, Elliott brought his knee up to his chest, looking at the blood soaking through his pants already, when someone stood before him, blocking out the sunlight.

“Oi, Witt,” a familiar, melodic voice said, and when Elliott looked up he saw the Second Most Beautiful Girl Ever™ standing before him. “When’s our next meet-up?”

Elliott giggled nervously, unable to make out her facial expression thanks to the bright-ass Kings Canyon sun shining behind her. “S-soon, I promise! I was just uh...getting everything set up?”

There was a pause. Then, Ajay knelt down in front of him, her smiling face coming into clearer focus.

“Promise?” She asked, and man, even though she was standing over him with a Mozambique she was still a pretty sight to see.

“Promise,” he said.

“Alright. It’s a date, then.”

And then she shot him in the head.

* * *

“I don’t have anything planned,” Elliott moaned into his elbow, one hand gripping a bottle of beer. “I’m _fucked_.”

“You’re fucked,” decoy-Elliott #1 said.

“Big time,” supplied decoy-Elliott #2.

“Thanks, guys. I knew you would be invaluable.”

“I don’t know what you expected, boss,” #2 said. “I mean, we’re you.”

“Yeah! We only know as much as you know!” #1 threw down the rag he’d been using to clean the bar counter-top. The place was empty except for the three of them; he'd closed up shop early tonight. “Which means, you should go out and know more stuff than we know you know! You know?”

Elliott groaned. When he had conjured them up, he had thought that they could give him free ideas instead of telling him to go out and learn things. He didn’t want to do that! He didn’t want to risk looking like more of an idiot than he already was!

He heard the front door open, and announced into the bar counter, “We’re closed.”

“I’m aware,” came Renee’s cool voice. “Are you talking to yourself again?”

“No,” Elliott, #1, and #2 all said at the same exact time.

“Right. Anyways.” He felt her elbow brush against his, and when he peeled his face off the counter saw her rapping her knuckles, getting #2’s attention. She wanted the usual. 

As #2 made her Appletini, Renee turned on her seat to face him and said,

“Don’t tell me this is about Lifeline.”

“How’d you know?”

“Ramya told me you were moping about it at home before you disappeared. And now you’re here.”

“Well Ramya should mind her own business.”

“Ramya lives with you. Your business is hers.” Renee’s eyes narrowed. “ _Especially_ after what you did to her stuff.”

“Can we not bring that up again? I made her a bouquet of wrenches!”

“What are you going to do with Lifeline?” Renee asked, ignoring his comment, and he blanched. “Your finances are too low for anything fancy, Elliott.”

Ooh, first name. He was in trouble.

“I didn’t _have_ anything planned,” he admitted, running a hand through his curls, which thankfully didn’t smell like burnt hair anymore. “I _know_ my f-finances are in trouble! That’s why I haven’t thought up a date yet!”

He had been trying _really hard_ to think of a nice date, but it was hard to when your bank account was dangerously close to dipping into the negatives. His first thought had been a nice dinner reservation, but after the clown, he didn’t want to venture back. Maybe the beach! The beach was nice this time of year, wasn’t it?

But fuck, Ajay was from Psamathe! They had the _best_ beaches! Sparkling blue water, tall palm trees, coconuts, all that jazz. Solace beaches looked sad in comparison, she’d laugh in his face if he thought of bringing her to one!

“Calm down,” Renee said, as if sensing his internal breakdown. “Why don’t you just _ask_ her what she wants to do?”

“I can’t do that,” Elliott argued, and #1 nodded vehemently with him in agreement. “I’d look like an idiot!”

“You would also look like an idiot if you brought her somewhere she hates,” Renee pointed out. “Or somewhere you can’t _afford_.”

#2 placed Renee’s Appletini in front of her, and she thanked him quietly. Elliott sighed, and took a swig of his beer at the same time she sipped from her drink. She was right, she always was, but like...

He just didn’t want to mess this up. He had already told her he’d had something planned. If he told her that he actually didn’t, she’d know that he was a liar and get mad at him, and oh man, he’d had enough of pissing off the women in his life.

Elliott stared down into his beer bottle, some shitty cheap brand that he kept it in stock for moments like these since he was the only one who drank it. Well, he and Octavio.

_Wait a second..._

Elliott grinned as he announced, “I’ve got it.”

Renee looked skeptical. “You’ve got a date in mind?”

#1 and #2 looked at him curiously, and the honest answer was _no_.

But he knew someone who _might_.

* * *

Elliott and Octavio were two peas in a pod. _Sharing one brain cell_ , as Anita liked to call it—which okay, he didn’t actually like that because he was _way_ smarter than Octavio, but anyways. That didn’t matter. What _did_ matter was the fact that Octavio was Ajay’s best friend and would definitely know places she liked!

He stood outside the other man’s door, repeating the question he was going to ask ten times in his head to make sure that he didn’t stutter when saying it. With a deep breath, he raised his fist and knocked on the door.

There came no answer. Elliott waited for a full minute before knocking again, tapping his foot impatiently and glancing around to make sure that nobody was watching him make a fool of himself. Then, the door opened, and Elliott said,

“Hey dude, just wanted to ask if—why are there cat whiskers on your face?”

“I’m streaming,” Octavio said. There was also a cat headband perched on top of his black (and green, but mostly black) hair. “It’s catboy hours.”

There was a pause.

“My fans wanted me to do this,” he said. “Anyways, hurry up amigo, I’ve got stuff to do.”

Behind him, Elliott could see the man’s computer open on his live-streaming website, with the chat-room spamming things like _‘nya for us, coward’._ The world of online gaming was a fucking mystery to him.

He grabbed Octavio by his wrist and pulled him out of his room, reaching behind the other to slam his door shut so that his viewers couldn’t hear what Elliott was about to ask.

“You know I’m d-d-dating Ajay, right?” Elliott asked, and Octavio tilted his head to the side, eyebrows raised. His whiskers weren’t very straight, and it was kind of bothering Elliott.

“Yup,” Octavio said. “Why?”

“Cool! Because I am, uh, planning something special and I n-need to know what kind of things she likes, like uhh, where would she like to go on dates? Not that I don’t already have a date planned, but like, I just want to make absolutely sure she loves all the places I’m gonna take her.”

Octavio shrugged, which was very helpful. “Just take her rollerskating.”

“But I already did that!”

“Do it again.”

“Look,” Elliott hissed, lowering his voice and getting closer to the younger man, who looked unimpressed with him. “I lied. I don’t have a third d-date planned! I’m lost! I’m flat broke and I need somewhere n-nice to take her, okay? Preferably somewhere cheap!”

Octavio stared at him with wide eyes, before a devilish smirk crept onto his face, and he crossed his arms, raising his chin. Oh no. The power stance. Elliott didn’t like this sudden shift in their dynamic.

“You need my help, eh?”

 _This was a mistake_ , Elliott thought to himself.

“Yes,” he said anyways, because god damn it he was desperate.

Octavio tapped his finger against his chin in fake thought, and he wanted so desperately to slap those stupid kitty whiskers off his smug face, but he held back. 

“I want free drinks for a month,” Octavio said, but the way his sentence ended led Elliott to believe that there was more to his conditions, so he kept his indignant exclamations at bay for now. “And you stole a keycard to Crypto’s room, yeah?”

Elliott squinted, unsure on how the other man knew that. It was true; he’d snagged a spare from the office when he saw it laying there innocently, having planned on raiding the dude’s room and maybe leaving a few obnoxious decoys around just to fuck with him, but he’d never gotten around to using it.

“Yeah,” Elliott said after a moment. “Why?”

“Nice, I want that too. Free drinks and Crypto’s keycard. Deal?”

Octavio held out his hand, and Elliott let out a long-suffering sigh, before nodding and accepting his handshake. “Deal.”

“I’ll text ya later, amigo. I’ve got an audience waitin’ for me.” Octavio opened his door, before closing it again, as if he didn’t want to be heard. “Drop off the keycard soon, got it?”

“Can I ask why?”

“Nope. Adios!”

Elliott sighed. He was probably going to regret this.

* * *

Octavio sent him eleven text messages later. Only three of them contained actually useful info, the rest of them tangents he’d gone off on as he recounted what he and Ajay had done at places she liked—botanical gardens, concerts, specialty cafés.

Elliott looked at the list of things she liked, and sighed. Some of them were _really_ expensive, shit he couldn’t afford now (or ever, really) and the other stuff seemed pretty boring for a date. Botanical gardens? Who saw flowers for _fun_?

Elliott was still stuck. He just didn’t know what to do. He was slightly jealous of Octavio for having known her for so long—he was sure that if the guy really put his mind to it, he could make Ajay super happy. Being her best friend...what a lucky bastard. He wished he had that. But no. That honor went to the dumbass, five-foot-something cat-whiskered pain in his—

Wait.

Cats....

And....

Specialty cafes....

.....

_Cat cafes!!!!!!!!_

Elliott would have kissed himself for that stroke of absolute fucking genius. Of course. Of course!!! Ajay loved cats, and liked specialty cafés...a cat café? God, Elliott R. Witt, you are truly something else. _Why thank you, Elliott R. Witt! You aren’t too shabby yourself!_

However, there was a slight issue...

“Ramya,” Elliott asked. “Can I borrow twenty bucks?”

“Why,” his roommate asked flatly, not looking up from the gun she was welding to...something.

“Uh. A date?”

“Where?”

“A cat café?”

“How badly do you need a twenty?”

“Pretty bad.”

“Alright then.” Ramya blew a bubble with her gum, flipping her ponytail out of her face. “I’ll add it to ya tab. And I want free pints for the next month.”

“You and everyone else,” Elliott mumbled to himself beneath his breath, but he found the girl’s wallet tossed carelessly onto his kitchen table and pocketed a twenty from it. Giving away so many free drinks probably wasn’t good for business—he could practically hear Renee’s disappointed sighs—but this was important! This was his girlfriend!

...Ajay Che was his girlfriend. _Wrow_.

He’d never thought of her that way until this Very Moment. Had never used that word. And it felt...so good. So _right_.

He knew it was too soon to be thinking about marriage, but he couldn’t help it. It’s what he wanted; a white picket fence, a dog, and a wife who loved him for all of him. Bonus if she was as spunky and kick-ass and beautiful and funny as Ajay Che.

He called her up, asked her to meet him in front of his house, before giddily texting The Most Beautiful Girl Ever™ (hi, mom) that he had a fucking girlfriend now and _I really can’t wait for you to meet her!!_

Elliott spruced himself up in front of his mirror, brushing his teeth twice to make sure that his breath smelled minty-fresh. He put on a shirt he wouldn’t mind getting cat hair on before spawning a decoy, who gave him a once-over and said,

“Lookin’ sexy.”

“Why thank you, me,” Elliott said. “That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

“Pre-date pep-talk?” Decoy-Elliott asked, and man, decoy-Elliott knew exactly what he wanted. Because decoy-Elliott was him.

Obviously.

“Pre-date pep-talk.”

* * *

 _Confurrctionary_ was a delightfully punny cat café located only half an hour away from Elliott’s house. It was pastel pink and white, with about a dozen cats wandering around inside, brushing up against the legs of customers and meowing every now and then to get attention.

Elliott was already not having a very good time.

He’d taken his allergy medicine before Ajay had come over, but even as he held her hand inside the café waiting to be seated he could feel his nose itching. She herself was smiling down at a sleek white cat approaching her.

 _Go away you bastard_ , Elliott thought, trying to communicate telepathically with the cat. _First of all she’s_ my _girlfriend, secondly you’re gonna make me sneeze._

“How’d you know I’d like something like this?” Ajay asked suddenly, looking up at him with her pretty brown eyes, and Elliott puffed his chest out a little.

“I’m a pretty good judge of character,” he bragged, even though this was completely false. “Plus, who doesn’t like cat cafés?”

 _He_ didn’t, but she didn’t need to know that just yet.

They were finally seated down in a comfy, squashy booth, and the waitress asked them what they wanted. Ajay ordered a strawberry cheesecake and a cream soda. Elliott flipped through the tiny menu that was going for cuteness over readability before managing to decipher,

“Double...chocolate...cookie cake?”

“Anything to drink?” The waitress asked.

“Water?”

She gave him a strange look, but took his menu from him without another word. Ajay was buzzing with excitement across from him, which was...nice. Yeah, she was fun in the Ring, but there was always a level of seriousness about her, especially in the way she interacted with others. You could tell that she took her job as a medic seriously. 

Now she seemed completely relaxed, smiling wide at a cat and trying to coax it into jumping onto the booth with her. When it eventually did, she cooed and started petting its fur gently. Elliott rubbed his nose with his sleeve frantically while she was distracted.

“It’s so nice to be away from all that bloodshed, even if it’s just for a bit,” Ajay said. “It’s nice to talk to you without a gun in hand.”

Elliott smiled at her in a good-natured manner. “Didn’t you shoot me the other day?”

Her face darkened with a blush, but she kept smiling. “Small details.”

She had braided her hair recently, and wore a silky-looking red top with a fishnet neckline and sleeves. Ajay had always been one of the more fashionable Legends, but on all of their dates so far she somehow looked better than she normally did. Elliott was in awe of her. His eyes were even watering.

Well actually they were watering because of all the cats but that didn’t really matter. What mattered is that she was having a good time and he had done a good job picking out their date!

By the time they got their food Elliott’s allergies had died down a bit as his medicine finally started working its magic, and he watched Ajay dig into her cheesecake, drizzled with the perfect amount of strawberry sauce. It was cute. _Aesthetic_ , as Loba would say.

“So tell me,” Ajay was saying as he himself took apart his double-chocolate-cookie-cake _monstrosity_. “How’s your mum?”

“She’s...fine,” Elliott said. He didn’t really want to talk about her—not on a date, anyways, because he kind of got sad whenever he talked about her and he didn’t want to bring the mood down. “Uhm, how are your parents?”

Wait. No. No no no _no_ fuck he had forgot that she wasn’t on speaking terms with her parents _fuck_ Loba had brought that up months ago how could he forget something as important as that—

Ajay just smiled at him, the expression of someone used to brushing harsh topics aside easily. “I don’t really keep in touch anymore.”

“U-understandable!” Elliott coughed, hoping that she couldn’t hear the slight panic that had crept into his voice. “Not everyone has a g-good relationship with their family, like uhhh I’ve got a dead-beat dad and my mom has d-dementia and my grandparents died a while ago and my brothers are MIA and oh man, I’m oversharing, aren’t I?”

“Calm down,” Ajay said, still smiling, but he swore that there was a bit of concern in her eyes for him. “I don’t mind, but we can change the subject. Let’s see...got any favorite movies?”

Elliott blinked, and then nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah, a bunch! My brothers and I...well, actually, why don’t you go first?”

Ajay’s eyes twinkled as she told him about all the crime dramas and whodunnits she liked, as well as cheesy slasher films and old horror movies with campy monsters.

“And Michael Meyers is definitely my favorite,” Ajay went on, taking the occasional sip from her cream soda. “I wasn’t allowed to watch it when I was young, but I did anyways. Scared the crap outta Silva when I showed up to his house in that mask for Halloween.”

“My brothers loved that movie,” Elliott said, reminded of all the times they’d watched it during October. “It freaked me out, but they made me watch it with ‘em. Assholes.”

“Slasher films don’t seem so scary after competin’ in the Games,” Ajay admitted, and Elliott nodded in agreement. “Y’see some _real_ monsters in the Ring.”

“I bet Caustic Halloween costumes are flying off the shelves.”

Ajay laughed, melodic like wind chimes, and god he liked her laugh so much. Sometimes she rolled her eyes at his jokes, lips tugging at the corners with exasperation, but he treasured the times she _did_ find him amusing. It was nice. Lifted his spirits.

Elliott’s nose twitched, and he realized that there was pressure in his lap. Looking down, he saw that a cat had leaped up and was trying to make itself comfortable on his thighs, which. Oh no. Oh no no no.

“Get off,” he mumbled, trying to nudge the cat away as his eyes watered a bit more. He had thought his medicine had been working, but apparently it lost all its effectiveness as soon as one of the bastards was sitting in his lap. “Hey, off, you little furball."

“Be nice to him!” Ajay said, apparently thinking that he was joking around and not on the verge of an allergic reaction. “He just wants some lovin’, Witt.”

“So do I, he’s not sp-special,” Elliott said, and _oh no. Here it came._

It seemed to build up in his throat, scratchy, with a lot of pressure behind his eyes. He raised his elbow so quickly that he accidentally knocked his water over into his double-chocolate-cookie-cake—and gave a huge, _monstrous_ dad sneeze. 

The cat, displeased with this sudden noise, finally jumped away, yowling. _Oh fuck you._

“Bless you,” Ajay said with raised eyebrows.

"Th-thanks."

“...Witt, is there somethin’ you wanna tell me?”

“No,” Elliott lied, but his voice came out all nasally, which probably didn't help his case.

Ajay sighed, looking down at her cheesecake in disappointment, before getting to her feet and waving down the waitress. She asked for the bill, and Elliott instantly panicked, worried that she had grown tired of their date already.

“Hey, no, w-wait, what’d I do? I can fix it, alright? Just let me—” He sneezed again, because _god_ the cat hair was clinging to him now, and maybe he _did_ mind getting fur on this shirt. “Ajay, c’mon, p-please!”

“Quit your whinging,” Ajay told him, and his mouth snapped shut, which was a very uncharacteristic move of him, but like he’d said earlier—he’d had enough of pissing off the women in his life. They split the bill between the two of them and left the café, Ajay waving goodbye to the cats because she was just really fucking cute, a big smile on her face. That smile disappeared as soon as she turned back to see Elliott though.

“Witt, I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

“I’m sorry?” He said instantly, not exactly sure what he was apologizing for, but he knew better than to not do so.

“Why do you keep pickin’ dates that are no good for you?” Ajay asked, placing her hands on his hips. “First the roller rink and your inability to skate, and now a cat café even though you’ve got allergies?”

“But...but _you_ like those things,” Elliott said lamely, and Ajay shook her head, still exasperated.

“A date’s gotta be fun for the _both_ of us to be a real date."

“In my defense, I _did_ take medicine before this, but I g-guess I didn’t give it enough time to set in.” Elliott looked down at his feet, taking note of his striped socks and mismatched shoelaces. Ajay wore platform sandals, and her nails were painted a glittery pink color. The difference between the two of them could be found even in the smallest of details. “I just really wanted to take you on this date, okay?”

“You could’ve waited,” Ajay said, and now her voice sounded softer. “Or picked somethin’ else.”

“But I’ve made you wait long enough!” Elliott exclaimed, looking back up at her. “I was _really_ trying to pick out a place you would like, and I didn’t want you to wait even longer for my medicine to take effect. I really, really like you.”

Oh god. Oh no no he’d done he’d said the _L Word_ you fucking. Weirdo. _Why would you tell her you like her on the third date that’s like, fifth date stuff at least—_

Ajay crossed her arms over chest, shaking her head, but her lips were curled up a little at the corners like she was trying her hardest to fight back a smile. Eventually, she just gave up pretense, and said with a laugh,

“I like you too. Which is why I want you to pick somethin’ _you_ like. Somethin' we _both_ fancy.”

“...I _do_ like cat cafés,” Elliott lied, but Ajay wasn’t having it. She hit him lightly on his bicep, before reaching down to grab his hand. Elliott’s brain short circuited a little at the contact—her palm was so soft, and her hand felt so small in his. This was...nice.

“Let’s go see a movie,” Ajay said. “Sound good?”

“Wh-what kind?” He stuttered, and Ajay pursed her lips a little.

“Hmm...It’s about Halloween. I’m sure we’ll find a theater playin’ some old classics. Sound good to you?”

“Yeah,” Elliott said, and then repeated himself. “Yeah, that sounds great!”

“So it's a date, then,” Ajay said. “Startin’ over right now.”

She smiled at him, and he found himself smiling back before she began to lead him down the street. Oh man, he was so lucky to have her. He’d thought that she would be upset, but she seemed... _fine_. Maybe a little exasperated that he’d gone and done something even though he was allergic to it, but she was fine with having to change plans up, with him not nailing their third date on his first try.

The movie theater wasn't very busy when they arrived, which was a blessing. They ordered a bucket of popcorn to share and two different fruit-flavored Icees, Elliott's red and hers blue. The theater was showing a bunch of new stuff, but their eyes were instantly drawn to the much cheaper, cheesy horror film at the bottom of the showing list.

Elliott had never seen _Friday the 13th,_ but the way Ajay was buzzing about it beside him had him excited to watch it all the same. He just hoped that there wasn't a lot of blood...or snakes....or clowns. Definitely not clowns. He'd had _enough_ of clowns.

They were virtually alone in the theater, so they sat smack-dab in the middle with their feet propped up on the seats in front of him. Ajay had the popcorn bucket in her lap, and every time his fingers brushed against hers it felt like an old movie cliché. His heart hammered in his chest every time it happened as if he were a teenager again.

_Get it together, Witt._

The whole movie had the hair on his arms raised, covering his eyes at the worst parts and physically cringing at others. Ajay seemed unphased, even laughing at a few scenes, especially the part where Kevin Bacon got killed with an arrow. He was glad that she having fun. He just hoped that she wouldn't laugh if _he_ got killed with an arrow like that. Oh god he was never going to be able to lay on his bed ever again.

Towards the end of the movie, right after the bad lady got decapitated, Elliott turned to Ajay and said,

"This movie is gonna give me nightmares."

"You've seen worse in the Ring, Witt."

"I have not. I have never once seen someone get _decapitated_!"

"Well there's a first time for everythin'," Ajay said, smiling at him in a cheeky manner, and despite the conversation they were having he felt himself relax as she smiled at him. It was like it had some magical healing property to it...or something corny like that.

They walked out of the theater after the credits started rolling, Elliott slurping from his Icee to finish it off. When he turned to face Ajay her eyes lit up and she giggled a little.

"What?" He asked, confused, and she gestured to her own mouth.

"You're all red."

"Oh." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and when he pulled it away saw red smudges against his skin. Well _that_ wasn't going to go away any time soon. "I bet I taste real good, though."

Ajay took a step towards him, and his eyes went wide as he realized that she was awfully close to him. He wanted to say something, anything, but there was a little voice in his head telling him _Shut up for once._

Ajay touched his wrist lightly before kissing him; chaste, a quick peck on his lips while his face flushed red, matching his cherry-stained teeth. When she pulled away all he could do was gape, and after a brief pause she huffed,

"Don't look at me like that."

"S-sorry," he gulped, brain moving at a million miles per hour. "I j-just, uh...can we do that again?"

Ajay rolled her eyes, but complied anyways, kissing him again. His hand found her hip, and he gave it a squeeze as he leaned into her, tasting the blueberry on her own lips and smelling her vanilla perfume. When they pulled away for the second time, he was grinning wide, and she grinned back to match.

"If you still think you're gonna have nightmares, why don't you just come back to my place?" Ajay offered, and Elliott managed to Not lose his shit, somehow.

"Oh, that'd be great! Let me just text Ramya real quick..."

He pulled out his phone as she hooked her arm with his and led him out onto the street, and by the time he was done texting his roommate Ajay had hailed a taxi. Oh god. Oh god he was gonna spend the night at her place which yeah that didn't inherently mean sexy stuff maybe they were just gonna cuddle but that was fine really _anything_ was fine because she was great and...

"Witt," Ajay said as they clambered into the car, her voice steady. "Calm down."

Elliott exhaled, letting his head fall back against the car seat. "Right. Calm! I can keep calm. I can _totally_ keep calm. Just uh, we're checking under the mattress before we go to bed, right?"

Ajay laughed at him, and it was really the best sound in the whole world.

**Author's Note:**

> im sorry if this is...disjointed??? NSIFNEISJ i dont like mirage so this entire fic was me holding a gun up to his head and going Treat Ajay Right Fucker .


End file.
